


One Last Time

by leavesofautumn



Category: Open Heart (Visual Novel)
Genre: Alcohol, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2019-11-01
Packaged: 2021-01-13 09:17:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,495
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21241751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leavesofautumn/pseuds/leavesofautumn
Summary: Casey asks Bryce for a divorce.





	One Last Time

Casey could hear the echoing click of her high heels as she stepped across the polished floor of the restaurant. She made her way to the center podium, awaiting her turn to be seated as her eyes drifted around the room, unsure of what to focus on. The crystal chandelier above her head, twinkling like starlight? The piano player in the corner, whose fingers danced across the ivory keys as gentle as a lover's touch?

"Name?"

She blinked, cheeks flushing with embarrassment as she realized the line in front of her had quicky dispersed. The host behind the podium was an older woman with a beautifully dark complexion, face honest and warm as she opened the large leather booklet in front of her.

"It should be under Lahela."

The woman smiled after finding their names, closing the book. "Ah. You must be the misses then. Are you also a doctor?"

Casey couldn't help but beam with pride. 

"I am."

The woman guided her through the crowded restaurant towards a lavish private table pushed up against the back wall. Its fabric runner was rich in color, a deep bold red of a heavy weight that hung in waves over the edges of the wood. Atop it was a spread of crystal glasses and fine China, each piece obviously placed with purposeful, aesthetic precision.

It was so much nicer than any other restaurant Casey had ever been to. She felt awkward and out of place, even dressed up, like she was somehow faking the fact that she could afford to be here.

The host pulled out a chair for her and she took a seat, smoothing the lines of her dress dress down over her thighs. Should she have worn something longer? The woman at the table next to hers was wearing an olive silk gown that flowed past to her ankles, a long slit running up the side. Would something along those lines have been more appropriate?

"Was your husband right behind you or…?"

Casey made a face, glancing towards the door as she twisted the ring on her left hand.

"He actually should've beat me here. He probably just got hung up at work. I'm sure he'll turn up soon."

The host nodded. "Excellent. I'll go ahead and send your server over then - get you started with something to drink."

Casey shouldn't have been so grateful for the wine that was placed in front of her a moment later. She shouldn't have felt like she needed it to get through the evening. But as the minutes stretched on and Bryce didn't appear in the doorway she grew more and more disheartened, blinking back tears as she eventually caved in and asked the server to leave the bottle on the table.

It was their tenth anniversary today. Ten years now since the night they'd eloped; and Casey thought maybe, just this _ once, _that would be enough to make her a priority in her husband's busy schedule.

But then again, she knew what she was signing up for the day she married him, didn't she? A life of missed appointments and sporadic schedules, of disappointment and regret. Everyone had warned her of it. Harper included. The day Bryce had risen to the status of attending the older surgeon had smiled at her sadly, almost as if she'd stood in her shoes before, her eyes wandering towards Ethan as she spoke.

_ "There's this thing about brilliant men that draws us in, Valentine. We can't help it - they're magnetic. But you have to remember that for them, their work will _ _always_ _ come first. Just...try and remember that, okay? Maybe then you won't make the same mistakes I did." _

Casey had ignored them all though, because at the time she had been young and blinded by an all-consuming, overwhelming love - the likes of which she had never known before. 

Bryce had swept into her life like a hurricane; unexpected and thrilling; turning her life upside down in only the most alluring of ways. All it had taken back in the day was him entering the ER - then all of a sudden her heart would skip a beat, her stomach would flutter.

They'd fallen in love slowly, one day at a time over the course of a year, neither one of them wanting to admit it...and then once they did, never wanting to hide it.

Their resident years together had been the stuff of movies, sexy and fun - every morning the start of a new adventure, every night another fix on her addiction to his touch, his caress.

It was only after they'd gotten married that their spark began to die the very same way it'd been borne - little by little, one day at a time.

At first she had pushed her doubts down, squashing her insecurities and focusing only on the good times. Because that was so much easier than dwelling on her fears.

And there _had_ been good times. So many of them - far too many to even begin to try and count. Days she looked back on fondly and held close to her heart whenever they hit their rough patches.

Or rough years, as it were.

It was after specializing in cardiothoracics and taking over the department that Bryce had become a success, a name renowned, and Casey had been more than happy to stand by his side throughout all of his awards and accomplishments, so very proud of the man he'd become. 

But fame came at a price. Longer hours, more people to impress, to teach. Seminars to attend. Conferences to fly out to.

And eventually she'd stopped expecting him to be home in time for dinner, and further, she'd stopped waiting up for him at all - simply crawling into bed alone and staring up at the ceiling until sleep overtook her.

The last time they'd fought he had promised to do better, to cut his hours and be around more. 

Which is how she'd ended up here tonight, in heavy makeup that she was trying to keep from running and shoes that made her feet want to scream.

Because like Bryce, she was _ trying_. Trying her best to be patient and understanding. Trying her best to look beautiful for him on their special night, even though she felt ugly inside. Trying her damndest to salvage this farce of a marriage and the way they'd once been.

But at this point she was worried she was more in love with the man of her memories than the one she awoke to each morning.

Her eyes fell back to the woman in the silk dress, who was leaning forward as her date fed her something off of his fork, her eyes sparkling, his face smitten. Casey felt a pang in her chest and looked away, forcing down the last of her drink.

She and Bryce had been like that, once upon a time.

Hadn't they?

It was two hours later that she sat there sighing, a second empty wine bottle pushed off to the side, her phone on the plate in front of her. She'd been staring at the blank black screen for so long now, waiting for it to ring, waiting for an explanation.

Another excuse.

"Doctor?"

Casey's heart leapt, only to be crushed as she looked up and realized the voice belonged to her waiter coming over to check on her and not to her husband. The man's face was full of sympathy, which only made her feel like shit about herself as he set a checkbook down next to her purse.

"Your husband's card was on file - we went ahead and ran it."

Casey sat up straighter, sniffling as she gained her composure. "Oh no, please - he'll be here any minute now…"

The waiter cleared his throat awkwardly. "Ma'am, we're _ closing_."

Casey glanced around the restaurant. When had everyone left? The only other people who remained were the bar staff and an elderly couple by the doors.

"Look...we already called a rideshare for you. It's waiting out front. Please, allow me-"

He picked up her purse as she opened up the check, leaving a more than gratuitous tip on Bryce's card out of anger and spite. Then she stood and allowed the young man to walk her out to the black sedan waiting by the curb, holding the arm he offered as she quickly realized she was tipsy, unsteady on her feet in the damn high heels she'd stupidly chosen to wear. 

"Thank you," she murmured as he shut the door behind her, ashamed that she hadn't been able to walk right, head held high like she'd wanted to.

He nodded and waved politely as the car pulled away from the curb. Perhaps the restaurant staff had told her driver she'd been stood up, because besides asking for her address and offering her a bottle of water he didn't say a single word until they were pulling up to the front of her building.

She kicked off her heels as she walked through the front door of Bryce's condo, not giving a damn that they struck the floorboards against the wall and probably scuffed them.

The house was dark as she turned to face it. She flipped on the light in the kitchen, staring out blankly into the emtombing silence before her, sobering quickly as it engulfed her completely.

Bryce's charcoal suit was still hung over the back of the living room couch, freshly pressed, the cling from the dry cleaner still wrapped around it. She stepped forward, running her hand over the plastic with a heavy sigh before making her way to the desk in the corner of the room, pulling out the chair and slumping down into it.

She didn't bother holding in her tears now. She let them fall freely, allowing them to stream down either of her cheeks as she stared down in dismay at the ring on her finger, then up to the mantle above the fireplace at all of their photos.

Her favorite one was right front and center, nestled inside of a large, gilded frame. Casey stared up at herself, all silly smiles and bright eyes, the perfect picture of a young bride...and felt bleak inside. Hollow, as if she were being mocked somehow.

She felt like a shell of her former self most days, a lamp low on oil about to burn out, and knew deep down that she couldn't keep living like this. In this constant rut of disappointment and longing.

Perhaps she was just drunk. Perhaps she just needed to hear Bryce's voice, his reassurance. She picked up her phone, dialing his number again, only to feel her stomach turn over as the call went straight to voicemail once more.

_ Enough is enough_.

She turned towards the desk, heartbroken as she reached for a piece of paper and a pen. She started addressing the beginning of a letter to her husband, then froze, unsure if she had the strength to continue. To go through with something like this.

She stared down at her ring once more, at the beautiful custom craftsmanship of the platinum band and the glistening emeralds that surrounded the center diamond.

_ "For my favorite Gemini," _he had teased in her ear the day she'd said yes.

Casey all but yanked the ring off, slamming it down on the surface of the desk with an audible curse. The thump muffled the sound of the front door opening, and Casey didn't realize Bryce had entered the room until he was standing right behind her.

"Case…are you okay?" 

She jumped, spine stiffening as a wave of guilt pierced straight through her heart. She turned to look up at him. He looked exhausted, battered. Whatever surgery had kept him late had obviously kicked his ass into next Tuesday. Yet even so, his concern seemed to be only for her as his gaze dropped to her ring and then to her letter.

"What is this…?"

His face fell, his skin paling as he reached for her chin and tilted her face up, forcing her to meet his gaze. Which killed her, because she could see plain as day the way his heart broke at the sight of tears on her face. He'd always told her he couldn't bear to see her cry. She didn't say a single word as he brushed them away, receding inwards.

"Casey, talk to me. What're you doing?"

She was at a loss for words. Because how could she tell him she was leaving when he was looking at her like that? When he was crouching down in front of her and reaching for her hand?

She shook her head, standing up too quickly, fumbling as she pushed past him, feeling as though she were underwater, needing more than just air. Needing something she had no name for.

"I just-" She couldn't look him in the eyes again. She _ couldn't. Damn_ those eyes of his. "I need some space, okay? Please?"

She brushed past him and entered their bedroom, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks. For the love of God, why couldn't she keep herself together? Why was she not stronger than this? Her breathing was coming in rapid bursts now, her anxiety spiking palpitations deep in her chest as she pulled a bag from the top of their closet and tossed it onto the bed.

Bryce entered the room then, probably angrier than she'd ever seen him before, immediately picking it up and throwing it to the floor.

"Look Case, I'm _ sorry_. Time got away from me is all, and I promise I'll make it up to you. But first you need to talk to me, okay? Because _this,_ whatever the fuck _this_ is - it's not the answer, babe. You hear me? It's _us._ It's you and me. We don't quit on each other, remember? We push through, we work things out..." He reached for her, his expression softening as he pressed her arm. "Together."

Casey shook off his hand, frustration bubbling over inside of her. "Bryce, face it - we haven't been _together_ for a long time now. We're essentially roommates at this point. Roommates who screw."

His looked momentarily stricken by her words, then immediately grew angry once more. "That is_ not _what we are. Don't you dare insinuate for a single second that that's all you are to me-!"

"Why not?" she asked, her voice rising as she gestured around the room. "Because the truth hurts? Because you don't like to be called out on your bullshit? Oh, poor Bryce - look, I've gone and hurt his precious _pride!"_

She shoved him this time as she bent over to retrieve her bag, only for him to reach for it, using it to tug her close, his eyes hard.

"Casey, you smell like a half gallon of Merlot - for fuck's sake, put down the goddamn bag!"

She huffed as he pulled it from her grasp and tossed it aside once more, sighing heavily as he took a step back and ran his hands down his face.

She swallowed hard. "You know, if you'd bothered to show up tonight maybe I wouldn't have drank so much. Or maybe if you had just called to let me know you'd be late. Hell, the _least_ you could've done was have a nurse shoot me a fucking text!"

He glanced up at her, guilt-ridden, looking as defeated as she felt onside.

"But you're _ never _ there, Bryce. I feel like I'm always on my own, always fighting for these itty bitty scraps of your attention. I'm never your first priority, never the thing you deam inportant enough to pull you away from your precious team…"

She threw her hands up in exasperation, leaning back against the wall.

"And it just feels like I'm suffocating, baby. Like I can't _breathe_. Like I'm just going through the motions, day after day - miserable and _alone_."

Bryce crossed the room slowly, stopping just in front of her as he placed his hand on the wall beside her face. 

His eyes searched hers in the dark, reaching for something to cling to. "Casey…"

She shook her head. "_No_. Don't you 'Casey' me. Not this time. Not again. I won't keep having this same fight with you, night after night, year after year. It's just not worth it anymore. It's hurting the both of us too damn much." 

He was quiet for a moment, then turned away as if blinking back tears, his face masked in shadows. "So what, then? What are you saying?"

The words come out quietly, her voice catching in her throat. "I'm saying it's _ time_, Bryce."

He shook his head adamantly, turning back to face her. When he did, the tears on his face finally began to fall.

"No. No - _ fuck that_," he said, grabbing her by the waist. "I am not just going to quit on us, you hear me? Because I love you, dammit - and you don't just quit on the people you love."

He kissed her then, forceful and desperate, his lips crushing her will to protest as he backed her into the wall. His grip on her side tightened as she went flush between his hard body and the plaster behind her. He held onto her fiercely, as if she were sand running between his fingers that he could somehow anchor in place.

He tasted like tears, like salt and sadness, his kiss bitter and unyielding. She nearly melted into it, but instead turned her head to the side, breaking their contact with a heavy heart, their breathing ragged in the air that settled between them.

_"It's not enough,"_ she whispered through a quiet sob, "That's not enough anymore."

He cupped her cheek in his palm, calloused fingers brushing her skin as he stared down at her, his entire body shaking.

"It has to be," he said quietly, "It _ has _ to be…"

He kissed her again then, slowly, tentatively, in that way he knew she loved so much. That way that never failed to make her weak in the knees. And she couldn't help but kiss him back. Because everything hurt _so damn much _ and she just didn't want to hurt anymore. Not when _ this _ felt so damn good, so much like home and reassurance as the hand on her waist trailed to her lower back, strong fingers kneading her tense muscles in gentle circles until she finally began to relax.

_ "Tell me you don't love me," _he whispered against her mouth, challenging her as he trailied his lips downwards, past her jaw to her neck where he suckled her skin with such tender sweetness that she couldn't help but lean into him. 

"I can't do that…" she said, her hand sliding up through the back of his hair, holding onto him tightly. "You know I love you. I'll _ always _love you."

She didn't realize she was reaching for the front of his scrubs until her fingers were clenching them in tight fists, pulling his mouth back to hers in a searing kiss that damn near stopped the spinning of the world. She kissed him in anguish, knowing it was the very last time, but unwilling to let it end.

He seemed to acknowledge this, even if he wouldn't say it out loud, even though he was obviously in such adamant denial of their issues and problems. 

She held his face in her hands then, her tongue prying open his mouth, seeking his even as she felt the tears on his face run down over her fingers, even as she felt him tremble in her arms.

Casey had never seen Bryce cry like this before. Her strong, confident, unbreakable husband. The only other times he'd ever even come _close_ to being this upset was the time he had first confessed to her what his father - if one could even call that monster such - had done to him as a child. The awful way that he'd grown up, absent of love and affection in a home full of nothing but pain and destruction.

And then again the day they'd discovered they couldn't have children of their own.

Yet even then he'd dismissed himself from the room, only to come back moments later, face red, eyes swollen - but nonetheless standing tall as ever, acting as her rock as he held her in his arms. 

_ "We don't need anyone else, you hear me? You and me - we're a family already. Don't you ever forget that, Case." _

Maybe he was also thinking of that day, because all of a sudden he pulled himself together, a stone cold look settling over his features as he once more shoved her against the wall, this time slipping his hands underneath her thighs, his muscles contracting under her palms as he hoisted her into the air.

Her legs wrapped his waist out of pure muscle memory, but the way she clung to him - one arm wrapped around his neck, fingers pressed to his cheek - was all here. All now.

And when he walked them towards the bed and they fell together she only tightened her grip on him, unwilling to splinter even a single precious second of whatever this was.

She pushed up his shirt haphazardly, yanked at his pants - her breathing shallow. His damn scrubs were in her way, and it was aggravating beyond belief because she could _ feel _ the raw heat that was radiating off of his skin and all she could think of in that moment was how much she wanted to be pressed up against his warmth. 

Her dress wasn't nearly as much of an obstacle for him. Deft fingers peeled it from her body and threw it against the wall as he pinned her down into the mattress, his lips the gift of the devil as he trailed them down her body in luscious, seeking kisses that left her burning for more and more of him with each fleeting touch.

His hands had always been magic, his mouth the thing of myth and legend. She didn't stand a chance, couldn't hold back the cry caught in her throat as she arched her back, his face pressed between her thighs as he worked her over and over again, his tongue flicking against her until she was shivering in ecstasy, a blinding rush of pleasure exploding behind her eyes.

She was breathless afterwards, completely spent, but that had never stopped Bryce before. He had always been a relentless and fulfilling lover, and reminded her just that as he moved like a panther - quiet, fluid, and dark - crawling up her body and sliding straight into it, catching her moan of pleasure in his mouth as he began to thrust against her without a moment's hesitation.

A man on a mission, or perhaps just lost, he tossed her leg up over his shoulder, his eyes miles away as he bent her in half, one of his hands sliding between them to rub circles just the way she needed, just the way she craved.

Pushing, pulling, clinging, grabbing - Casey didn't realize it consciously, too lost in the sensations of skin hitting skin, but her hands were roaming every part of him that she could reach, mapping out the planes of his body by touch, trying desperately to memorize them as best she could before this was all over.

When she came the second time it was almost too much, bordering overstimulation as the pressure inside of her burst in an explosion of heat throughout her lower belly. She was downright whimpering his name then, clawing at his biceps as he drove into her again and again, harder and harder until she was nothing but a puddle beneath him.

Then he stopped moving completely, staring down at her as his chest heaved from exertion, cupping her face in his hand, gazing into her eyes more intimately than he'd done in years.

Simply _ seeing _her for what she was.

Something flashed in those almond eyes of his as he pulled her up, falling backwards and settling against the headboard as he adjusted her in his lap. She straddled his hips, her legs brushing against the sinew of his thick, muscular thighs, that stretch alone so pleasurable in the places she was already growing sore.

It was her move now. Bryce didn't make a single sound; he simply sat there, wordlessly running his fingers up through her hair, brushing them over her collar, her breasts. Softly, deftly - almost as if she were made of glass and he was suddenly unsure of how to handle her.

How to keep from breaking her.

But they _did_ knowhow to handle one another. It was the one thing they'd _always_ known how to do. The one constant thing they'd always fallen back on.

Sex was their escape. When there hadn't been words for what they were feeling there had always been touches. Caresses. A secret dance they shared that only they knew the steps to. A fallback when all else failed.

A sweet distraction from the pain, at least for a little while.

She swallowed hard, head still reeling from her last orgasm as she felt how hard and powerful his presence beneath her was, his slick cock pressed up against her belly. She reached down between them and took him into her hand, stroking a sigh from his lips before rising up on her knees and impaling herself downwards with an antagonizing slowness that stretched and filled her inch by inch, causing him to grip at the sheets below.

She rocked against him leisurely, with a sense of purpose, taking her time, enjoying the feeling of him thick and deep inside of her; the way she sat a full head taller than him as his arms wrapped around her waist and held her close. He kissed her as he sat up straighter, nipping at her neck, her collar, her breasts as he kneaded them - all the while offering her small words of praise as he nuzzled her skin, the two-day growth of stubble on his jaw scraping against her oh so wonderfully.

_ "That's my gorgeous girl...you're so perfect Casey...so beautiful...so wonderful in every way..." _

This time she finished in rolling waves, shamelessly pushing up against the lower planes of his abs and hips to chase what she needed. His hands fell to her waist as she came, ringing out her pleasure as he pushed and pulled her body against his still more and more, even after her muscles no longer moved of their own accord.

And then she was on her back again and he was moving inside of her as he caressed her face, tears falling from his face and plinking silently off her chest. He leaned down and kissed her, enveloping her mouth with his, their breath intermingling as his body stiffened and shuddered within hers, the sensation intimate, erotic, wet.

After that he simply held onto her - tightly - almost in a vice. She wasn't even sure he was breathing until he released a shaking sigh that sounded both weary and terrified all at once.

Then he rolled onto his side, pulling her down to him, both of their heads on the same pillow, their foreheads touching as he took her face in either of his strong hands and forced her to look into his eyes.

"Casey, baby...please don't leave me. Please stay with me. Tell me what I need to do. Tell me what I can fix - how to make you happy again." His voice cracked, the sound of him begging so humbling, so heart-shattering. He'd never begged anyone for anything before. Never shown any sign that he didn't have full control over any given situation. "I'll do _ anything_, Case. _ Be _ anyone. Just tell me what you need. I'll give you the world...if you just _ stay_."

She kissed him, a single press of her lips against his, her tears mixing with his as she pulled away, her voice a sorrowful whisper.

"What I need...is for you to let me go."

Because as beautiful as his words were, they were just that - words. Promises she feared were once more empty and meaningless.

No matter how sincere he sounded this time.

"Casey-"

"Bryce, _please…_listen to me. Let me speak."

She ran her hand through his hair, combing back his bangs, the short styled strands a ruffled mess that she smoothed down as she took a moment to find her voice.

"I love you, okay? I love _everything_ about you. You are _kind_ and _good_ and _sweet-_" She swallowed hard, her throat threatening to close up on her. "-and I am _honored _that you chose me all those years ago. Because in marrying you, I got to stand by your side and watch as you became _exactly_ the man you were always meant to be."

Her hand found his in the dark underneath their tangle of sheets, her fingers threading between his.

"A surgeon, baby. A _brilliant _surgeon who's made such an incredible difference in so many lives. It was always your dream, and I got to watch that dream come true. And you know what? It was _beautiful_. Which is why I would never ask you to choose between me and surgery. Because at the end of the day it's _who you are_, Bryce. It's what you were made to do in this life."

She let go of his hand, unable to continue without losing that last bit of dignity she so desperately clung to. She put a little bit of distance between them, the air suddenly so much colder without the heat of his body, then turned away and sat up.

His hand immediately fell to her shoulder, and she could feel the cool metal of his wedding band against her skin. She had to bite her lip to keep from saying anything further as she stood. 

She could hear his hand fall defeated against the mattress as she moved, as if he didn't have the strength left to stop it, the sound of it hitting the bed echoing in her mind, engraving itself there forever as she silently dressed and picked up her bag from the floor.

Casey barely paid attention to what she shoved inside of it, simply filling it to capacity, all the while avoiding looking back at Bryce. Because if she looked at him-

"Where will you go?"

He asked the words in such a broken whisper that it damn near crushed her resolve. She had half a mind to drop her bag right there where she stood and fall back into his arms. Into what she knew was safe and warm and waiting for her.

But nothing good would come of that. It would simply re-open old wounds, hurting them all over again.

And Casey was tired of hurting.

So damn tired.

"Sienna and Danny don't live far. I'll sleep at their place tonight."

He didn't reply to that at first, yet even in the long stretch of silence that fell between them she could tell he still had so much left to say. She could feel his eyes burning into her.

"Text me when you get there, okay? Let me know you made it safe."

Her eyes began to water all over again, her voice cracking. "I will."

She moved towards the doorway, one hand on the frame as she paused in step, feeling as though her very soul was weighted down, feeling herself shatter into a million fractures of falling glass.

And even though she knew this was all for the best, it still felt as though a knife were slowly twisting itself inside of her chest, eviscerating into pieces all she'd ever known.

There was a voice in the back of her mind, in that moment where she stood there frozen, unable - or maybe unwilling - to move. It willed her to speak. Willed him to listen.

_ Please don't let me do this. Please stop me. Chase after me, dammit - talk some sense into me! Hell, just _hold_ me. Hold me tight and never let me go. Tell me it will all be okay, baby. That _we'll_ be okay. Just God,_ _please don't let me go. Don't you _ever _let me go-_

But she didn't say another word.

And neither did he.

So she stepped through the door and closed it behind herself, walking over to the desk and taking a seat as she finished her letter. In it, she wrote down an apology, a regret; a hope that he understood and could one day forgive her. She also wrote down the simplest of truths - that he was her dearest friend, and always would be. No matter the distance between them and what came next.

Casey picked up her wedding ring afterwards, cradling it in both of her hands as she wept.

Then she kissed the center stone, set it back down on the desk...and left.

.

.

.

**Author's Note:**

> Writing Playlist:  
When Doves Cry - Sarah Jarosz  
Nobody Like You - Little Mix  
Don't Let Me Go - RAIGN


End file.
